Placing Our Bets
by Miss Late Bloomer
Summary: Sequel To Betting On You. Rick decides it's time to ask Evy a certain question...
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

In response to feedback from my story Betting On You, I thought maybe a sequel was in order. It's not about Rick and Evy's courtship, but rather the end of it. I just had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did typing it up. Jonathan/Rick interaction will be included. Please give me feedback; it takes so little time to make me very happy. This will be one of two parts. After this, I want to start my POV series of the first movie.

**Placing Our Bets-Part 1**

He'd made a lady a promise, a promise including flowers and going out to dinner. Nobody would ever mistake Rick O'Connell for a choir boy, but he wasn't a liar. Unless a gun had been held to the back of his head when he gave his word on something, he kept it. And Evy had this way of making it fun to do things with her. It didn't take much to make her happy, probably because she hadn't got out too much before he came along. He got a kick out of being with her, something new for him. Some dames, talking to them was an endurance test, some kind of toll for crawling into bed later. With Evy, it just came natural.

He'd known he'd loved her, but he wasn't expecting to actually like her. She was prim and proper, there was no getting around that one, but she was a sweet girl with a lot of spunk and brains. Who knew he'd be having the time of his life going out to dinner, seeing plays, and going out to dance? They were seeing each other every night, and having a ball.

All this begged the question...what next? It wasn't like he had to do anything, the situation suited them both just dandy. No, he didn't have to do anything different, but he wanted more, wanted a life with her. He'd known that pre-dawn morning, riding out of Hamunaptra, it'd be like this. Some of his buddies through the years got hitched because it was only way the girl would give up the goods. Other buddies got married because they'd gotten the girl knocked up. In Rick's case, it was neither of the above.

Shit, he wanted to marry the girl. No shacking up, no week long get-away, he wanted the whole nine yards. _He_ wanted it, not because she was nagging him, not because there was a kid on the way. He always thought he'd have to be dragged down the aisle kicking and cursin', (not that he planned on getting caught in some broad's trap) not coming up with the idea himself. And he wasn't even angry or panicking. He just felt great.

Well, this whole thing had been a gamble from the get-go, he was just doubling the stakes, that's all. From his prospective, the odds looked decent. Evy was crazy about him, she wasn't exactly playing it coy. She was the marrying kind, right? Now, a house full of seven screaming kids, not so much, but marriage and a kid or two seemed like her kind of life. Not that she'd be playing the little woman in the kitchen, and that was fine. If Evy wanted to work, wanted to spend her time with dead guys, that was fine, as long as none of them tried to end the world. So, he'd ask, hopefully she'd say yes, they'd kiss, and she could throw together something resembling a nice wedding, and he'd take her somewhere for a honeymoon. Pretty simple...hey, wasn't a ring involved in this whole thing?

Well, there was a little glitch in the whole simple part of it. Sure, he could afford a ring. Hell, if she wanted an even dozen it wouldn't put him in the poor house. Thanks to the treasure, him and Evy would never have to worry about money again. (Knowing Jonathan, on the other hand, Rick would give it five years before he started begging for cash again.) But what did this ring he could easily afford look like? He'd never seen her wear much jewelry except for her locket, and he wasn't sure what he should get her. Not to mention, he'd never bothered buying a dame jewelry before, what would he know about it? He didn't want to mess up his proposal by getting her a crummy and expensive ring.

Wait just a minute. If there was someone who knew both Evy and jewelry in general it would be...yep, Jonathan. Rick glanced at the clock. It was only 11:00, so chances were Jonathan would still be sleeping off the night before. Oh, well, it didn't hurt him to be uncomfortable once in a while.

On his way down the hotel corridor, he passed Evy by, who was just coming out of her room. Her house had been demolished when fire rained out of the sky thanks to a certain ancient creep, so she was trying out hotel living for the time being. He wondered why she wasn't at the museum, but figured he'd find out soon enough. Hell, Jonathan could sleep a couple more minutes.

"Hey, beautiful." He noticed she'd been crying and was brought up short, his temper not too far behind. "What's wrong? Somebody do something, scare ya? 'Cause I can-"

"No, no. It's nothing like that." She sniffled into a handkerchief, looking as low as he'd ever seen her. "I was fired. The new curator sent me packing this morning."

"Well, what the hell does that bastard know?" Rick gathered her up close, kissing her forehead. "You'll get a new job, Evy, better than the last one."

"Oh, and do you think he'll give me a reference after he saw the library?" She buried her face in his chest, more than happy to let him hold her. "I've ruined my career. I'm inept."

"Oh, bullshit," he countered bluntly. "So, you knocked over some bookshelves, that's life. Could happen to anybody."

"That's very kind, even with the unnecessary language, but-"

"Yeah, and you're so 'inept' you helped save the world, and came out of it filthy rich," he reminded her, and she stopped sniffling.

"Finding the treasure was just luck," she argued, her usual sensible self, but he wasn't discouraged.

"Details." He pulled her away a little bit, squeezing her shoulders. "You're not taking this lying down, Evelyn."

"I'm...I'm not?" She looked completely puzzled. "And what am I supposed to do? Aim burning arrows at the museum?"

"Give me _some_ credit. I was more thinking along the lines of building up a career outside the library. You don't need those stuffed shirts to make a name for yourself. In fact, being stuck in the library probably won't do that for you anyway." Besides, in Rick's experience, once you had a taste of danger like Evy just had, you either wanted to play it very, very safe, or you wanted another taste.

From the look on her face, you'd think he just suggested cliff diving. "You...you mean archeology?"

"Well, that's where you use all the fancy tools to dust stuff off, go in tombs, and send and artifacts to museums, right?"

She was shaking her head at him. "But...but that's mad! I'm just a silly girl, who would take me-"

He gave her a firm shake. "Never, ever talk bad about yourself to me, got it? You got more smarts than anybody I've ever run across. Okay, so you're a little young, and going off in the middle of nowhere alone might get you into trouble, but..." He cut himself off, knowing where this was headed. He wasn't able to lay it on the line, not until tonight anyway. "Besides, weren't you the one rearin' to go to Hamunaptra? That sure don't sound like going on a picnic."

She wrinkled her nose at him. "Well, I wasn't going it alone-"

"Jonathan was gonna be your protection?" Okay, now _that_ was stupid.

"I was going to hire someone," she added defensively. "But then you agreed to take us, so it worked out very nicely, didn't it?"

"And if I'd been a rapist or a murderer?" he prodded. "You know, I was in jail."

"I did...check as to your offense." Oh, so she knew about his little fling with that married lady, huh?

"I didn't know the lady had a husband." Now it was his turn to sound defensive.

"Humph." He saw a flare of jealousy in her eyes, but figured he'd have to deal with one thing at a time. "In any event, I wasn't going to make a habit of venturing out for this sort of thing."

"Well, just think about it. What would you say to dinner tonight?"

"Sounds brilliant." She gave him an actual smile, a little one, but it wasn't faked, her jealousy forgotten. "How does 7:00 sounds?"

"Whenever you want," he promised, pulling her in again. She turned her face up for a kiss, and he was happy to give her one. He never got tired of how kissing her made him feel, of soft her lips felt. It was a rush of sensation to the gut, like swallowing a bottle of wine in one gulp. Like always, he was a good boy, careful not press for more than she was willing to give.

He felt himself start to go hard when she tentatively opened her mouth, the corner of her tongue flicking out to lick his lower lip. Oh, the girl was playing with fire and didn't even know it. Against his better judgment, he deepened the kiss, trying to keep it light, trying to keep it gentle. Kissing her like this, in the way he'd taught her how, it was heaven, but the dangerous kind.

Her whimper of protest when he pulled away about brought him to his knees. "I wasn't done," she pouted.

"Oh, yes, you were, Evelyn," he shot back. As it was, she'd got him all worked up, and kissing her some more wasn't gonna help any. "I'm not a saint, so don't push your luck."

"It was just a kiss, completely harmless." _Oh, yeah, by all means say that to a guy while looking up at him through your eyelashes, _he thought irritably.

"If you believe that, honey, then you've got a lot to learn about men." He put some distance between them, taking deep breaths.

"I just want to learn about you," she answered shyly, blushing a little.

"Okay, you little tease, I got to go talk to your brother Jonathan." It had occurred to him he could just ask Evy what kind of jewelry she liked, but with the girl's mind, he didn't want to risk giving anything away.

"I am not a..." she trailed off, frowning. "Oh, dear what has he done?"

"Nothing to me." Rick shrugged. "I just want to have a chat with him."

"At this hour? He won't be awake for-"

"Yep, just a friendly little chat," he said innocently.

She looked a little miffed, but he couldn't figure out why. He found out soon enough. "You'd rather talk to my brother than kiss me? Honestly, if it's that much of a chore-"

"Evy, do you want to stay a virgin today?" he asked bluntly. She stammered and sputtered and he had to fight not to laugh at her. "'Cause if you don't, I can help you out, but if not, I better go talk to Jonathan."

"Off with you, then," she whispered after what seemed like a long time.

"That's what I thought. 7:00?" He waited until she nodded, then headed towards Jonathan's room.

"Oh, Rick?" she called when he was almost there.

"Yeah?" He turned around, and she had the weirdest look on her face.

"One of these days, I just might give you a different answer, and invite you into my room one night. When that happens, we'll just see what happens, won't we?" She smiled smugly, then turned on her heel to make a dramatic entrance through the lobby door.

"It's always the quiet ones," he muttered. He picked the lock on Jonathan's door, Evy's words playing in his head. The sitting room looked pretty much like Rick thought it would. Empty bottles and glasses were all over the place, abandoned cards and chips tossed all around. A little more interesting of a find was the evening gown laying over by the couch, and the lady's lacy underwear by the ajar bedroom door. "Well, somebody's been a busy boy," he said to himself, not hesitating to go into the bedroom, picking up the blue satin number off the floor as he walked past it.

The owner of the dress and underwear was still there, passed out cold next to Jonathan, naked except for the jewelry the sucker next to her had probably bought for her. Well, she wasn't Egyptian, that was for sure. While her blonde hair was obviously a dye-job, she was white as snow. At a glance, she looked she'd been around a time or two, not that Rick was judging. A couple of months ago, she'd have been just his type.

Rick strode over to the drapes, flinging them open. "Wakey, wakey, kids! Time to face the day!"

She jerked into a sitting position, but Jonathan just snuggled further into the pillows. "Not now dad," he slurred. "Don't want to go to bloody lessons."

The broad didn't even bother to cover up, not that Rick was looking. 1, he wasn't interested, 2, nothing there he hadn't seen before, and 3, Evy would probably get the wrong idea if it got back to her that he was staring at naked women.

"Sorry, Junior, I'm not your dad," he snapped, going over to clap his hands together next to sleeping beauty's head. He came awake with a start, staring at Rick with blurry eyes.

"Hello," whatever-the-hell her name was purred at him. Ah, going by the voice she was American, okay. "Have we met?" She didn't even ask for the dress in his hand.

Okay, she had to be kidding. "Don't think so. Jonathan, I gotta talk to you."

Suddenly, Jonathan was very alert and looking nervous. "If it's about the car, old boy, I can explain everything."

"It's not about..." he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "What's wrong with my car?"

"Nothing!" Jonathan cried, holding his hands up defensively. "I just borrowed it, I swear. It's parked out front, I can show you."

The dame didn't know when to take a hint. "You're right, I'm sure I'd remember a handsome man like you." He wasn't looking at her face, but her tone was meant to be sexy. Man, this broad moved fast, flirting with somebody while in bed with another guy. "My name's Susan, and I'm-"

"On your way out the door," Rick finished, throwing her evening gown at her. "Come on, sweetheart, get moving."

Obviously, she wasn't used to being given the brush-off. "Excuse me?"

"Beat...it," Rick said, hoping that would do the job. "Jonathan get up and get dressed. It's important."

Jonathan looked hopeful while his little friend huffed and puffed indignantly. "Then you're not brassed off about the-"

"Forget about the damned car, Jonathan!" he growled.

"No one tells me to beat it!" She sounded furious now, and Rick wasn't sure if it was possible to care less.

Rick's voice was bored when he answered her. "I just did."

"All right, Rick, I'll be up and dressed in just a minute," Jonathan promised.

Rick headed out, hearing the broad hiss at him: "Are you going to let him talk to me like that?"

"Well, he was a good sport about me taking the car for a ride last night," he heard Jonathan say. "It'd be rude to get testy with him after that."

"You just don't want to fight him!" she screeched.

"Well, he is a chum," Jonathan answered weakly. "Oh, my poor head."

She stormed out, flinging the dress over her head as she went. "Uh, don't forget your underwear, lady," Rick said mischievously.

"Go to hell," she snarled.

"Trust me, I've already been there," Rick retorted, thinking of Hamunaptra.

"Bastard," she hissed, grabbing her underwear and storming out.

"I don't think she likes you very much." Jonathan looked like hell as he stumbled out of his bedroom. "So, what's so urgent?"

"I'm going to ask Evy to marry me."

Jonathan grimaced, rubbing his forehead. "I'm in no mood for early morning jokes, Rick."

Obviously, he was going to have to use a little bit of the patience that didn't come easy. "I want to marry your sister, Jonathan. I want to buy her a ring, ask the question, and hope she says yes."

"You can't be serious." Jonathan mostly looked confused now.

Rick decided ignoring him would work best. "Does she have a favorite kind of stone or something? I want her to really like it, do this right."

"You want to marry my sister?" Jonathan choked.

_Easy, O'Connell, he's had a long night, _Rick told himself, resisting the urge to shake the Brit into understanding. "That's about the size of it."

"You're going to ask Evy to be your wife?" Apparently, they were taking the long way around.

"Like I said."

"Well..." Jonathan sank into a chair, looking like Rick had punched him. "I say, this is a bit unexpected."

"So, the ring? Any ideas?" Rick reminded him, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, what? Oh, the ring? Yes, the ring. Right. The engagement ring or the actual ring..." Well, at least he'd gotten the message through his thick skull.

"The engagement ring for starters. I have no idea what to get for her." He ran a restless hand through his hair, wondering this had been a mistake after all.

"Not to worry, Rick." Jonathan rubbed his hands together like a little kid. "I know just the ticket."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**

This is the second part of the story, and the last. I'm sorry to say that for pacing purposes you won't actually see the boys buying the ring, but there will be Jonathan/Rick interaction. This story is going to remain at T, which actually, I think is a little high, but I wanted to be cautious.

I also wanted to use this opportunity to respond to Nakhti's review. I wouldn't normally respond in the author's note, but since I couldn't use respond any other way, I'll have to do it here.

Nakhti, I appreciate the constructive criticism, because it helps me improve. I will defend my portrayal of Evy with this: She had just been fired, she's not sure if she'll be able to get another job in the field she loves. Remember, she'd been rejected by the Benbridge scholars…_again_ earlier in the movie. The curator also told her to her face that the only reason he allowed her to stay on was because of her parents, and now that he's dead, her safety net is gone. Now also factor in that this was the 1920's and it was a very sexist era. It seemed natural to write her as being glum, even the feisty have their moments of despair. (She was feeling very low when she told Jonathan about the rejection of her application earlier in the movie.) Still, I do appreciate your POV. As for Rick and Jonathan, that's definitely something to think about. I was going for the humor in the situation, and was going from the movie for inspiration, but maybe you're right that I need to draw deeper. I truly am grateful for you taking the time, and I hope that I can improve.

Okay, time for the story. Keep the reviews coming!

**Placing Our Bets-Part 2**

"Jonathan, please don't start up with the crying again." Rick flipped the lid of the box open to look at the ring one last time, then to the sniffling Englishman. "You sure this was the right choice?"

"My baby sister is going to be married, thank you very much! Forgive me if I need a good cry." Jonathan didn't even glance at the ring, blowing his nose instead.

"Save it for the wedding, I haven't asked her yet." He snapped his fingers under Jonathan's nose. "So. The ring. You sure?"

"I told you five bloody times-" Jonathan started to bellyache.

"It just looks a little...plain. I thought women liked big stuff." The gold band had three tiny rubies in the center, but that was it.

"They do at that, but Evy's not most women. She doesn't like a fuss, likes to keep it simple." Jonathan wiped his face, letting out a shuddering breath. "Oh, I never thought this day would come. You'll take good care of her, won't you?"

"I'm gonna love her and do my best to make her glad she married me, if that's what you mean." Rick wanted her to know that, he had to make sure she knew she was making a good bet. He wasn't going to let her down, not while he had air in his lungs.

"Listen, Rick, Evy's all I got in this world, my only family. Well, except Aunt Martha, but that crone's not even human. I'm not even sure she's got a heart, to tell you the-"

"Getting off topic, Jonathan," Rick reminded him.

"Right." Jonathan started pacing, but at least he'd stopped crying. "I know you love her. God only knows why a bloke would tie the noose around his own neck willingly if he wasn't daft with love."

Rick rubbed at his neck, remembering his literal experience with a noose. "Gee, thanks."

"Rick?" Jonathan's voice had turned tentative, and Rick's instincts told him whatever the guy had to say next was going to take a lot of guts.

"Yeah?"

"I know that at the end of the day, I'm an awful lot of trouble, dashing from one close shave to another, and that's not likely to change, is it?" He offered up a sheepish grin, his hands in his pockets.

"I'm guessing not," Rick agreed, settling himself on the sofa.

Jonathan waved an impatient hand, clearly on a roll. "That aside, I love Evy, have ever since she was born. Well, you know, once I got over the shock of not having a little brother. She's been more than I deserve, I'll have you know. It'd be hard to see her marry just any bloke, but Evy's picked the right man."

"I'm not so sure I deserve her either," Rick admitted, common ground stretching out before them. "That doesn't mean I plan on giving her up, she's the best thing that's ever happened to me. Marrying her's the smartest thing I could ever do."

"Here, here." Jonathan toasted him with a watery shot of bourbon, tossing it back with a big finish. "Well, I always wanted a brother, Rick. Poor chap, it looks like you've gotten the job."

"Eh, after getting stuck with Benny, you're a walk in the park, Jonathan." He'd spent the day with Jonathan, and he'd been good company. He wouldn't mind having him around, which was a good thing, since Evy would probably miss her brother like crazy if he wasn't around. He walked over to get his drink, slapping the Brit on the back. "But don't count your chickens before they hatch. She could always say no."

Jonathan howled with laughter over that one, bending over at the waist. Rick waited him out; nursing his drink, thinking that room service would bring the food in any time now. He'd decided to move dinner in here as opposed to the hotel restaurant, figuring this would be more romantic. Besides, it'd be easier to pop the question without an audience.

Jonathan got over the giggles in time to speak, just about breathless. "Are you that thick that you'd think she'd say no? She might just topple you over in her hurry to say yes. You two will probably be whispering sweet nothings and be kissing until tomorrow." He made a face, obviously still working on building up immunity to that kind of thing where his sister was concerned.

"And speaking of which, Jonathan, you better scram," Rick told him, checking his watch. "The food's on its way, Evy will be right behind that, and her brother tagging along just ain't what I had in mind."

"Fair enough, Rick, fair enough. This isn't anything I fancy seeing at any rate." He saluted Rick, and headed towards the door.

This stuff didn't come easy to him, but Rick was willing to try it out. "Jonathan?"

"Yes, old boy?" Jonathan turned around, obviously expecting Rick to start in on the ring again, fidgeting in place.

"Thanks." Jonathan's eyes widened and he swallowed hard.

"It was my pleasure, Rick. It was my pleasure." He left after that, the quiet stretching out over the room.

It didn't last long. Less than two minutes later, dinner was wheeled in, all of Evy's favorites on the menu. He tipped the guy, looking it over. He kept waiting to panic, but so far, so good.

He'd just changed when he heard the tap on his door. "Evy?" he yelled out his bedroom door, tucking in his shirt.

"Yes, it's me," she called back.

"Come on in." A look in the mirror told him he was presentable...ish. He grabbed the flowers he'd bought for her, hiding them behind his back.

When she walked in, he felt like the wind had been knocked out of him, she was a knock-out. Her hair was swept up, leaving her neck looking bare and tempting, and he could tell she'd bothered putting on make-up. She was wearing a pale pink dress that floated down to her ankles, and she was enough to make a guy's mouth water.

"Wow," was all he could say.

"I could say the same for you." Even her voice sounded too good to be true. _He_ was the guy she was ending up with? "7:00 seemed so far away."

"I know the feeling." He noticed she looked nervous, and he couldn't figure out why. As far as she knew, they were just having dinner. "Come over here, I don't bite. Well, unless you want me to."

"What an odd thing to say." He'd have to remember she hadn't been around much, he reminded himself. She walked over, looking at him with those big brown eyes. A fella could drown in those. "I got your message that you wanted to have dinner in here."

"I kind of felt like having you all to myself tonight," he admitted, giving her a quick kiss. "Is that okay?"

"Of course." She gave him a quick, fleeting smile, glancing down. "Oooh, oysters! How did you know?"

"Jonathan."

Evy's eyes twinkled. "I always thought he was too busy stuffing his face to give any thought to give what I ate. Is...is everything all right with you two?"

"Yeah. Everything's coming up roses. Speaking of which..." He whipped around the yellow roses, handing them to her. She gasped and sniffed them.

"They're beautiful," she breathed.

"You want 'em in water?" He'd come prepared, there was already a crystal vase on the coffee table, full of water, she just hadn't noticed. After he was done kind of sort of arranging them, he figured since he was on a roll, he might as well pull out a chair for her. "Sit down, take a load off."

She gaped, not completely over the roses, looking at the chair and then back to him. "Uh...er...thank you, I will. You certainly went through a lot of trouble." He sat down his own self.

"Not too much. I figured my girl deserved a good dinner." For some reason, that seemed to make her emotional.

He had to lean in to hear her. "Your girl? I like the sound of that."

_And I'm kind of hoping you'll like the sound of wife, too, _he thought, handing her a plate. He dished some up for himself, although he wasn't sure he'd taste any of it. "It's got a nice ring to it, huh?"

"I've never been anyone's girl before." What the hell was wrong with the men where she came from?

"Well, we're even. I've never had anybody be my girl before."

From the look on her face, she hadn't been expecting that one. "Are you serious? After all the women-"

He could see where this was headed, so he cut her off. "Yeah, there's been women, but they didn't mean a damn thing. Never pretended they did. You know how I feel about you."

She gripped his hand, and she felt so breakable, but he knew she was tougher than she looked. "I still can't believe you love me, that you're real."

"Well, believe it sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere." He gave her hand a squeeze, then grabbed a fork. "Come on, dig in before the grub get's cold."

The mood lightened over dinner, the two of them falling into easy bantering. Both of them were drinking from an old bottle of wine, with Rick keeping an eye on Evy. The last thing he wanted was for her to get drunk tonight. Evy had made a face at him, but didn't complain too loud, being as she remembered that one night at Hamunaptra where she'd had one too many.

"That was delicious," she said, relaxed now.

He watched her sip her second glass of wine, a rosy tint to her cheeks the only sign she'd had any alcohol. "Glad you liked it."

"Rick?" she asked, tensing up again. Uh-oh, he didn't want her tense. "Was there a specific reason you wanted me to come to your room tonight? I know you said-"

If she was gonna play it tactful, this song and dance could go on all night. "Evy, something's cooking in that brain of yours, so you might as well just come out with it."

"Very well." She took a breath, gripping the table cloth in her hand. "Did you have the intention of seducing me tonight?"

It took a few seconds, but he could see how she got that idea. After their little exchange earlier in the day, him changing the dinner locations at the last minute, and going out of his way to make the dinner extra special, it would fit in with getting a woman into bed. On one hand, he wasn't sure if he'd have the willpower to turn her down if she dropped her dress and crooked her finger, on the other, that definitely wasn't what he had in mind.

"No, that's not what this whole thing's about." He gestured around them, trying to read her face. She looked kind of relieved, but kind of not at the same time. "But I did have something else in mind besides dinner. Come on and sit with me on the sofa."

"All right." She was a little embarrassed now, but that shouldn't last too long.

He pulled her onto his lap, nuzzling her throat. "You smell good."

"New perfume," she answered breathlessly. It didn't hurt his ego to know he could do that to her without too much effort. He planted a kiss on the tender skin, the first time he'd kissed her anywhere except from the chin up. He felt her shiver hard, and knew he'd found a sensitive place. He'd have to remember that. "Oh!"

He pulled away a little bit so she'd actually listen to him. "Evy? I want to ask you something."

"I'm listening." She focused her eyes on his, expression open and affectionate. "Go on."

"There's probably a better way of putting this, but you know me. Evelyn Carnahan, will you marry me?"

It took a long minute for that to sink in, and he forced himself to stay quiet and let her go at her own pace. The second she processed what he said, tears welled in those gorgeous eyes, her body freezing. Was that a bad or good sign? Hell if he knew. _Don't rush her, _he warned himself, although the waiting was starting to kill him.

"You want me for always?" It amazed him she could be surprised, but then again, he'd never been good at this kind of thing. Maybe he'd given her the wrong idea somewhere along the line.

"I'll want you longer, but I'll take whatever I can get." Her tears spilled over, and it seemed natural that he go ahead and kiss them away. "I want everything life's willing to give us. I know we'll probably get on each other's nerves once in a while, but that's what making up's for."

"But don't you want a wife that won't be as much trouble?" Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. "Someone who doesn't want a career, that just wants to raise your children and keep a good home?"

"Sounds like a sleeping pill." He wasn't joking, the idea sounded like being in jail again. "I don't want anyone who's not you, Evy."

"I wouldn't want anyone else either." Suddenly, he was being showered in enthusiastic kisses. She managed to talk between them. "I'll never want anyone else. Oh, how I love you!"

"Can I take that as a yes? Uh, please don't wriggle." He had to move fast to grab her hips before she could do any real damage.

"A thousand times yes!" she cried.

He slid the ring on her finger, still a little nervous about the choice. "It's perfect," she assured him, beaming up at him. He decided the moment definitely needed a kiss at about the same second she did. She tasted salty, her lips eager on his. She didn't seem to have any idea what she did to him, didn't have a clue how just kissing her chipped at the self-control he wasn't really known for.

The little vixen was the one to push her tongue into his mouth, pressing those breasts against his chest. One of them moaned, he was having a hard time keeping track. His blood was starting to rush south, his thoughts start to go fuzzy. He didn't want to stop, didn't want to lose the feeling of her tongue tangling with against his. It would be more than easy to let this thing get out of control.

He pried his mouth away, taking in gulps of air. "Give me a minute," he told her.

"Get back here!" she countered.

"I'm right here, just hang on."

"I want to keep kissing you." Man, this woman could give a mule lessons.

"Later." He reminded himself she was a babe in the woods, she really didn't know what she was doing, no matter what he said. It wasn't until they got to know each other real well she'd finally get it.

"Don't you want me, Rick?" Oh, God, did she have to sound so sexy? How good did one man have to be?

"Am I breathing?" he shot back.

"I want you." He almost lost it, almost scooped her up and took her right to bed.

He must have really loved her, because somehow he kept still. "Do you even know what that means, Evy, or do you just want to keep kissing?"

"I want to be close to you. I...I want to make you happy."

"We're close right now, and you've already made me happy. Hell, I think this actually qualifies as joy." He kissed her brow. Smart and capable or not, there were times he'd have to watch out for her. Tonight, was one of those times. "Evy, when the time comes, when I do take you to bed, you're going to love it, I promise. I just don't think tonight's the right time."

"Women aren't supposed to enjoy it," she argued.

"That's news to me. Says who?" He'd never heard that one before, maybe it was a British thing. Or maybe just a good girl thing.

"My grandmother, before she died. Only whores would take pleasure in such an exercise." She looked so serious and worried, and he was glad they were having this conversation, so he could put her mind at ease.

"Did you and your mom talk about this?" He didn't know much about her mother, but it sounded like a love match between her parents.

He could tell Evy still missed the woman when she talked, but he didn't want to get sidetracked by bringing it up. "Well, although I was old enough when she died, I don't think she felt the need. I was hardly interested in marriage at the time. I suppose grandmother just wanted to set me straight before she died."

"Well, maybe that's what she thought, but lot's of women enjoy it, and not just the kind of women I used to fool around with. Hey, have I ever lied to you?" He looked her straight in the eye, rubbing his thumb along her jaw.

"You wouldn't lie to me," she answered softly. "But what if you're wrong and she's right?"

He knew he couldn't just brush the topic off and have her feel better. "I think it's more a matter of prospective than anything. Some people think women either gotta be the Virgin Mary or they're trash. Some people think women have just as much of a right to have a good time as a man does."

"I do like kissing you," she admitted like she was confessing to a bank job or something. "It makes me feel wonderful, but restless at the same time, as though I want more. You always stop it before I can understand exactly it is that I want."

"That's normal, sweetheart. I want you to love every minute of sex. Trust me, it'll make it better for me."

"Really?" the little minx looked intrigued now. "How so?"

"You'll just have to wait and find out." He gave her another kiss, but a quick one this time.

"I wouldn't mind if it happened tonight." She was offering, but his gut told him that it wasn't for the right reasons.

"Tempting, trust me, but we got our whole lives for that." He cupped her face, feeling his own eyes mist over with tears, not that he'd ever admit it. "I do want you to stay with me, tonight, though. I want you to stay in here, and wake up with you every morning. Will you do that?"

"Gladly." She curled up in his arms, and for now, that's all he needed.


End file.
